Carbon America, the first vertically integrated carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) super developer, announced today two agreements with Sterling Ethanol LLC and Yuma Ethanol LLC to develop CCS projects at two Colorado ethanol production facilities that will capture and store 95 percent of the carbon dioxide emissions per year from the fermentation process. Carbon America will finance, build, own and operate the CCS systems at the ethanol plants in Sterling and Yuma, Colorado, and ensure secure geologic sequestration nearly 1 mile underground in northeastern Colorado. The projects are the first two commercial CCS projects in the state of Colorado.

The emissions reduction from the CCS projects will help Colorado reach its climate goal, to reduce statewide emissions by 50 percent by 2030, and 90 percent by 2050 from 2005 levels. The projects will enable Sterling Ethanol, LLC and Yuma Ethanol, LLC to reduce the carbon intensity of ethanol production, and increase their competitiveness in the market.

“Carbon capture and storage is a critical tool to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions and we are thrilled to work with Sterling Ethanol, LLC and Yuma Ethanol, LLC to permanently sequester carbon dioxide underground,” said Carbon America CEO Brent Lewis. “Projects like these will help the ethanol industry decarbonize and contribute to global emissions reductions needed to reach net-zero by 2050.”

Carbon America plans to install carbon capture equipment at both ethanol plants that will extract COâ‚‚ from the ethanol production process and transfer the gas via new carbon dioxide pipelines to an underground geologic sequestration site, where the COâ‚‚ will be permanently stored. The sequestration site is rigorously designed to comply with Federal Class VI and California Air Resource Board Low Carbon Fuel Standard permanency requirements, and Carbon America is working closely with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and multiple Colorado regulatory agencies to ensure the project meets all environmental regulations. Carbon America expects the projects to be fully operational in 2024.

“We look forward to working with Carbon America to reduce emissions at our Sterling and Yuma ethanol facilities and produce some of the lowest-carbon ethanol available on the market,” said Sterling Ethanol, LLC and Yuma Ethanol, LLC President & General Manager, Dave Kramer. “Carbon capture and storage will allow us to continue supporting our rural communities and their farming and cattle operations and their economic development, while significantly reducing our environmental impact.”

Please send comments and questions about the projects to Carbon America at https://www.carbonamerica.com/contact-us.